Memento Mori Remember to Die
by Raelin Renawa
Summary: What would happen if there was an unknown third queen?  What would happen if that third queen wanted to avenge Diva's death?    ... Sorry, I'm bad at summaries.  Rated M to be safe.  Contains spoilers, gore, violence, language, girlxgirl content..


_Note: This is my first ever fanfiction.. So.. Don't be too harsh, please? :c _

_Warning: Contains: Spoilers, Gore/Blood/Violence, Language, and Girl X Girl content. **No** lemons! Maybe a lime or two._

_Chapter One _

Echo's POV

I set my small bouqet of blue roses on the ground in front of the thomb. _Her _tomb. "I'm so sorry, _Divanee-san_.." I heard myself whisper, but all I felt were my knees falling to the ground. I must have been crying, as well, because Mali walked over and knelt beside me. I'm not sure there was ever a time I thought I'd be more grateful to smell her berry-colored hair, a lush cascade of lavender falling down her shoulders.

"Echo, there was nothing you could have done.." She muttered, her voice soft, genuinely concerned about me. "Please, stop it. Your tears are painful for me to see.."

I forced a smile, looking over at my Chevalier. That was the funny thing about Mali. Not only was she the only female Chevalier I'd ever met, but she actually cared about me before she changed. She doesn't love me because I _saved_ her life. She loves me before that, and we love each other even more so because I _took_ her life. "I know.. But.." I stopped, unable to finish my sentence. Why did she have to die? Because she was locked away in some grimy old tower, not shown any affection or other human luxury?

"Shh.." Mali whispered, putting her arms around me. "Everything happens for a reason, you know. If you hadn't left her that day.. We wouldn't have met. I wouldn't be here now, fighting by your side."

I buried my face in her shoulder as more tears fell. I knew she was right, but some part of me just didn't want to accept that. Some part of me wanted to blame myself for everything that happened to Diva, because.. I could have _stopped_ it. I could have _saved_ her.

_Ten Years Ago_

_Mali's__ POV_

"Darling, can you go down to the chicken coop and bring some eggs inside? I don't want them to freeze." My mother called, ushering me with her hands to go outside, regardless of her request.

"Yes, ma'am." I recited, reluctantly dragging myself outside. Immediately I was met with the bitter cold wind of the week-long blizzard, piercing against my bare cheeks mercilessly.

In the midst of the flurry of snow and ice, I ended up losing my way to the chicken coop. Not that it seemed to matter, at the time.. I was 10 years old, and I was sure those chickens couldn't have survived this blizzard. Rather than finding frozen eggs or half-dead chickens, however, I found something - no, someone - much more special. Someone I would treasure deeply from the first moment I set eyes on her.

When I saw her, she was laying face-down in the middle of the snow-covered road, almost buried alive by the snow that continued to fall. I quickly ran over to her, kneeling beside her. 10 years old or not, I knew something was different about her.

She was around my age, maybe a bit younger. She had long, unkempt raven-colored hair, so long I began to wonder if that was what her short legs tripped on during their frantic flee from wherever she came from. Her eyes, a deep, almost scarlet shade of red were half-closed from exhaustion, but she still looked perfect - almost angelic.

"Hi! I'm Mali!" I remember saying that to her, a big, stupid grin plastered on my face. "What's your name?"

The girl slowly looked up at me, her eyes clouded with fear of the unknown. "..Echo." She barely whispered it, but like her name suggests, it rang in my mind. "You're not.. going to hurt me, are you?"

Those eight words were all my young mind needed to realize she was afraid. But not of the storm, not of anything else around her. No - She was afraid of_ me. _"No, you silly girl!" I grinned, helping the girl up, helping to brush off her ragged clothes. "I want to help you, if you'll let me. Come on; Momma and Poppa will surely help you, I just know it!" And with that small, innocent proposition, we ran off, hand in hand, back through the storm to my parents' farmhouse.

Echo recovered quickly, and she and I also quickly became friends. It was innocent at first, platonic, even. After 7 years, though, that once innocent friendship quickly sparked into a blossoming romance.

_Seven Years Later.._

"Echo.." I gasped, breaking away from our kiss that seemed more like a tongue battle. "How did we.. get to this point?" It seemed like just a minute ago, she was explaining to me her past; how she wasn't _human_, like me.

"I-I don't know.." Echo said blankly, eyes moving to her shirt that now decorated the otherwise spotless wooden floor. She bit her lip, speaking in a hushed voice, "Mali.. I don't want to put you in any danger by being with you, so..-"

I pushed her back onto the bed, which groaned in response. I sent my lips crashing onto hers, shutting her up for the moment. When we broke apart for air, I was the first to voice my thoughts.

"Then _don't_ put me in any danger." I whispered, leaning close to her ear. "Make me.. like you. You _can_ do that, can't you?"

I felt her tense beneath me, gently pushing me away. "Mali.. I.. I can't.. It's too painful." Echo mumbled, biting her lip as she avoided my gaze. "I'd practically be killing you.. I don't want to be the one that does that to you.." I saw a stray tear slide down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.

I felt my eyes spill over with tears, my heart slowly breaking. "Echo.. If I could choose who was going to kill me.." I said slowly, gently turning her face towards mine, "I would want you to do it. Because.. I'd know that I'd die in the arms of someone I loved."

Echo's eyes grew wide as more tears fell, her head slowly shaking in disbelief. "Mali.."

"Yes, you idiot." I hissed, feeling my own tears fall onto my leg, "_I love you_. That's why I don't care if it kills me to be with you."

Bottom lip trembling, Echo threw her arms around me tightly, almost suffocating me. "Then.. we're going to need a knife." She said, looking up at me. She was smiling, but something in her eyes reminded me of regret, and pity. "I'd go get one myself, but.." She teased, pointing to her shirtless chest, "I'm not exactly presentable right now."

Casting one final glance at her, I ran down the steps, grabbing what she had asked for. I turned the blade over in my hands a few times, curious as to what she possibly needed such an unusual tool for.

"Took you long enough." Echo joked, hands on her hips. She stood at the top of the staircase, the same bittersweet expression evident on her face. "Come on." She motioned towards the bed, snatching the knife from me as soon as I was beside her.

I sat down on the mattress, only to be pushed onto my back a moment later. Echo gripped my hand tightly, her knuckles turning white from the deathgrip she had between our fingers. "I don't know exactly what will happen.." She confessed, a fresh stream of blood flowing down her palm from the small knife wound, "So.. Don't let go. No matter what, okay?" Another forced smile played across her face, with the same sorrowful eyes staring back at me.

I raised my hand up to her face, shaking my head. "Stop being such a pessimist.." I muttered, closing my eyes. I decided it was best not to see how I was going to die, since we both seemed to expect the worst.

"_Gomen ne.._" I heard her whisper, then felt her lips on mine, a warm liquid sliding down my throat.

A moment later, I felt my body shut down. My only thought was, _So.. this is the end.._ But as soon as that thought left my mind, a new sensation took over: pain. Excruciating, almost unbearable pain. The only thing I could feel other than the pain was Echo's hand, her grip growing tighter and tighter each time I forced myself not to scream. And then, in another moment, I was numb. And another moment, I lost my grip on consciousness, but somehow, I still knew Echo was there. Even as everything faded to black, I was still aware of our interlaced fingers, and I was also aware of something else: I wasn't dead. I'm _not going _to die.

And even though I couldn't feel anything as I realized that, it was the most peaceful thought to ever have entered my mind.


End file.
